Menstrual Packs for Equal Rights  |  Zambia

Impacts

Outcomes

Increased confidence levels, dignity and comfort, which allows the girls to focus on their education

Increased knowledge around menstrual health and hygiene practises

Lessens stigma around menstruation in rural Zambia

Background

In rural Zambia, as in many places in the world, women are unfairly disadvantaged in accessing education and career opportunities. The factors contributing to this include lack of proper menstrual hygiene products, resulting in up to one week of missed school per month, the high prevalence of males being sent for education in low-income households over females, early marriage, and the impact of cultural values on confidence and development. These issues are exacerbated in more remote areas where access to school is limited due to distance and less access to facilities.

The biggest challenges that girls face in obtaining and using safe sanitary products continue to be affordability and accessibility. Unfortunately, a lot of girls live in remote villages and many households face financial struggles. This means they are left to use cloth materials and cotton wool during menstruation. This poses different health risks and challenges. For example, cloth fills up too quickly and does not stay in place resulting in girls more likely to stain their uniforms or leak onto their school seats. The data has also confirmed that lot of girls did not know about reusable pads nor used them. A formative study on Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) in two Zambian Districts (2017) confirmed that girls attending rural schools lacked knowledge about menstruation and only received informal education about it. Instead, due to feeling fear, disappointment, shame, rejection and worry girls preferred to stay at home during menstruation to avoid any potential accidents or bullying. There is an urgent call to address inadequacies of menstrual education, break associated stigmas, myths and taboos. Project Luangwa has worked diligently in the field of education and gender equality for the past 14 years, and over this time they have seen an improvement in numbers of girls attending school, the overall level of confidence and breaking of harmful stereotypes.